Today's NYT Midi Crossword is live, and familiar trivia meets playful double meanings. Pull up a chair and enjoy the clues.
How The Midi Works
The Midi is the middle ground between the Mini and the classic NYT Crossword, offering a mid-size grid that takes a few satisfying minutes to clear. Solve the intersecting words, and when the grid is complete, you'll hear a satisfying chime.
New puzzles drop daily. The Midi offers more complexity than the Mini while remaining accessible for solvers who want a quick but substantial challenge.
Quick Scan
In a rush? Here's the at-a-glance breakdown for today's puzzle:
Grid Size: 9x9
Total Clues: 32 (16 Across, 16 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 7D is the toughest turn, asking for a precise baseball action rather than a general sports term.
Gimme Clue: 10A offers an easy foothold with a direct farm-animal definition.
Theme Spotted: "Break a Leg"
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. "All ___ lead to Rome"
Hint: Think of the travel routes in the familiar saying about Rome. Five letters, starts with R.
6A. Had some food
Hint: Use a simple past-tense verb for consuming a meal. Three letters, starts with A.
9A. Country whose capital is New Delhi
Hint: Think of the South Asian country home to the Taj Mahal. Five letters, starts with I.
10A. Male sheep
Hint: Look for the adult breeding animal in a flock. Three letters, starts with R.
11A. One of four on a standard tandem bike
Hint: Focus on the bike part directly beneath a rider's foot. Five letters, starts with P.
12A. A conceited person has a big one
Hint: Think of an inflated sense of self. Three letters, starts with E.
13A. Crop whose cultivation was popularized in the U.S. by George Washington Carver
Hint: Think of the crop whose kernels become a creamy sandwich spread. Six letters, starts with P.
15A. The "A" of I.P.A.
Hint: The final initial identifies a broad beer style. Three letters, starts with A.
17A. Open the mouth very wide
Hint: Picture a jaw dropping in astonishment. Four letters, starts with G.
18A. "I never seem to catch a break!"
Hint: Think of a brief cry of self-pity. Six letters, starts with P.
20A. Digital address, for short
Hint: Look to the browser bar for this web abbreviation. Three letters, starts with U.
21A. Goad
Hint: Think of urging a reluctant participant into action. Five letters, starts with E.
25A. Midwest city that's home to the Gateway Arch: Abbr.
Hint: Use the abbreviated form of the Missouri city by the Mississippi. Three letters, starts with S.
26A. Spa's spot for sweaters
Hint: Think of spa guests perspiring in a heated room. Five letters, starts with S.
27A. ___-been (washed-up star)
Hint: Complete the dismissive label for a former celebrity. Three letters, starts with H.
28A. Watch through binoculars, say
Hint: Think of secretly observing a target. Five letters, starts with S.
Down Hints
1D. Defraud, with "off"
Hint: Supply the verb that joins off to mean cheat a customer. Three letters, starts with R.
2D. Any nonzero number divided by itself
Hint: Think of the multiplicative identity. Three letters, starts with O.
3D. Contribute
Hint: Think of supplying something extra to a discussion. Three letters, starts with A.
4D. Something worn by a newborn
Hint: Think of an absorbent baby essential secured around the waist. Six letters, starts with D.
5D. Event on Black Friday or Cyber Monday
Hint: Think of a shopping event featuring discounts. Four letters, starts with S.
6D. Bowl game venue
Hint: Think of a large sporting enclosure. Five letters, starts with A.
7D. Get ready to advance after a fly ball
Hint: Think baseball and the base-touching requirement after a catch. Five letters, starts with T.
8D. Be melodramatic on stage
Hint: Think of acting with exaggerated feeling. Five letters, starts with E.
14D. Feature of a cross-generational relationship
Hint: Focus on the difference between the partners' birth years. Six letters, starts with A.
15D. Artery from the heart
Hint: Think of the main vessel carrying blood from the heart to the body. Five letters, starts with A.
16D. Lounges (around)
Hint: Think of reclining lazily without much activity. Five letters, starts with L.
18D. Propel a bobsled at the start of a race, say
Hint: Picture racers applying force from behind the sled. Four letters, starts with P.
19D. A slob makes one
Hint: Think of the untidy result of careless habits. Four letters, starts with M.
22D. ___ Fawkes Day (annual celebration in Great Britain)
Hint: Recall the historical figure commemorated with British bonfires. Three letters, starts with G.
23D. Musician Yoko with a palindromic last name
Hint: Use Yoko's family name, checking its symmetry in both directions. Three letters, starts with O.
24D. Artist/photographer Goldin with a palindromic first name
Hint: Use Goldin's given name, checking its symmetry in both directions. Three letters, starts with N.
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. "All ___ lead to Rome"
Answer: ROADS
6A. Had some food
Answer: ATE
9A. Country whose capital is New Delhi
Answer: INDIA
10A. Male sheep
Answer: RAM
11A. One of four on a standard tandem bike
Answer: PEDAL
12A. A conceited person has a big one
Answer: EGO
13A. Crop whose cultivation was popularized in the U.S. by George Washington Carver
Answer: PEANUT
15A. The "A" of I.P.A.
Answer: ALE
17A. Open the mouth very wide
Answer: GAPE
18A. "I never seem to catch a break!"
Answer: POORME
20A. Digital address, for short
Answer: URL
21A. Goad
Answer: EGGON
25A. Midwest city that's home to the Gateway Arch: Abbr.
Answer: STL
26A. Spa's spot for sweaters
Answer: SAUNA
27A. ___-been (washed-up star)
Answer: HAS
28A. Watch through binoculars, say
Answer: SPYON
Down Answers
1D. Defraud, with "off"
Answer: RIP
2D. Any nonzero number divided by itself
Answer: ONE
3D. Contribute
Answer: ADD
4D. Something worn by a newborn
Answer: DIAPER
5D. Event on Black Friday or Cyber Monday
Answer: SALE
6D. Bowl game venue
Answer: ARENA
7D. Get ready to advance after a fly ball
Answer: TAGUP
8D. Be melodramatic on stage
Answer: EMOTE
14D. Feature of a cross-generational relationship
Answer: AGEGAP
15D. Artery from the heart
Answer: AORTA
16D. Lounges (around)
Answer: LOLLS
18D. Propel a bobsled at the start of a race, say
Answer: PUSH
19D. A slob makes one
Answer: MESS
22D. ___ Fawkes Day (annual celebration in Great Britain)
Answer: GUY
23D. Musician Yoko with a palindromic last name
Answer: ONO
24D. Artist/photographer Goldin with a palindromic first name
Answer: NAN
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 23D, "Musician Yoko with a palindromic last name," yields ONO and finds a companion in NAN at 24D. The adjacent names turn straightforward recall into a neat visual pairing, since each reads identically backward.
Wordplay Winner: 26A, "Spa's spot for sweaters," earns the wordplay prize with SAUNA. Sweaters means people perspiring, giving an everyday clothing word a perfectly fitting human meaning.
Quick Fill: 10A, RAM, is the fastest confident fill because "Male sheep" is so direct. It supplies letters to 6D ARENA, 7D TAGUP and 8D EMOTE, making it a useful foothold in the upper right.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Fill direct definitions such as RAM and INDIA before tackling the baseball phrasing at TAGUP. Short, secure answers give you useful checks when a specialized expression slows progress.
When a clue sounds oddly specific, test another meaning of its key noun. SAUNA rewards reading sweaters as people, a useful habit whenever an ordinary definition refuses to fit.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
This grid balances reassuring definitions with small shifts in perspective. SAUNA delivers the sharpest grin, while ONO and NAN provide a tidy finishing flourish.
See you at the next grid.